Three tournament events totaling more than 170 kayak anglers descended on Table Rock on a blustery April Saturday in an expected big fish spawn smash-fest. Think again friend, as fishing often doesn’t work out the way the book says. NSKA’s Table Rock 1.0 presented by Las Fajitas (I’ve eaten more Mexican food here than anywhere in NWA, it’s great) joined the fray along with the Moyak and All-American trail events to enjoy sustained 15-20 mph winds with gusts up to 35-40 on the water.
Tournament Results
Several anglers from NSKA entered the Moyak and All-American events to double or even triple dip. And boy, did that pay off for some as some south of the border anglers went up and had themselves a good time. For the NSKA event, there actually were quite a few fish caught with a 5.45 Fish Per Angler (FPA), compared to 2.99 on Beaver North, 1.72 on Pumpback, and 5.95 on Beaver South. Wait…did Beaver South just out FPA Table Rock? It’s time for an All-American event Beaver Lake!
Ryan’s Big Bass winner. Source: TourneyX
Ryan Paskiewicz took his second win of the year with a big bag of 90.75″ and also won Big Bass with a 21.5″ lunker on a big swimbait. Danny Dutton put up a big 87.75″ for second and Craig Wood caught 85.50″ for third place.
Ryan Paskiewicz 90.75
Danny Dutton 87.75
Craig Wood 85.50
Kyle Long 84.50
James Haeberle 83.75
Robert Murphy 82.75
Chris Longshore 82.00
Jason Ray 81.50
Dwain Batey 81.00
Chad Davidson (tie) Jason Kincy 80.75
Overall the field of 73 anglers did well, with 66% catching a limit and all but a few catching at least one keeper. Full standings are available on TourneyX.
NSKA vs Moyak Border Battle
How did the above numbers compare to the Moyak total field? The FPA for the Moyak field was 4.48 and only 51% of the field turned in a limit. With some Moyak anglers in the NSKA event and vice versa, their numbers cancel out for the most part. Three of the top seven and six of the top twenty spots were filled by NSKA anglers, which made up on only 17 or so of the 153 anglers.
Overall, Moyak squeaked out the Border Battle by 1.25. NSKA placed 1st, 5th and 7th while Moyak took 2nd, 3rd and 4th – and they won the battle: 260.25 to 259.00. Congratulations to MoYak, they have a lot of great anglers. Are we going to see Moyak in a rematch next year on Beaver Lake?
All in all, NSKA competitors acquitted themselves very well by comparison – great work! You should be proud and brought the hammer to the ‘Rock.
Recap of my 80.75″ on TR, including a specific pattern found.
Angler Roundtable
Time again for the traditional post-tournament roundtable, where the winners spill the beans. Ryan, Danny and Craig share how their day went. Listen and learn…
What part of Table Rock did you go to and why?
Ryan – I launched at Big Indian. I was able to pre-fish it and had a little success. I knew I had one good fish locked on a bed that I could catch and decided to start there. The wind made it much harder but I eventually landed my PB Meanmouth at 17.75”. It was clearer than I would have liked but it ended up perfect with the wind.
Danny – I went to Shell Knob area. I had no idea where to go and was not going to be able to pre fish. Andrew Newsome picked the area by researching Google Earth.
Craig – I went to Holiday Island area just because I enjoy the area and have done well over the years.
Did the intense winds affect you or how did you deal with them successfully?
Ryan – The wind definitely made it annoying at times. My XI3 has pinpoint gps and it makes it much easier to deal with wind like that.
Danny – The wind was brutal. I tried to fish with the wind when I could. I would also get into little pockets or behind docks to get a break. Caught all my fish in shallow water.
Craig – The wind did make it more frustrating but overall it may have helped me by pushing fish to the shore and cover so I could flip a jig easily.
Talk about your biggest fish catch, how did that happen?
Ryan – I have an infatuation with big swimbaits and have been trying to learn and gain confidence. I know they’ll eat them on the rock so I planned to at least throw it a little. I only had two fish at 9:30 am and was grinding mentally. I committed to throwing the glide for two points and a pocket to see if I could find a big bite and gain some momentum. I was about 5 casts in and I threw my glide up to the point coming out of the pocket. My glide got hammered. So thankful I was able to get her in the boat!
Danny – Biggest fish was early I threw a spinnerbait, parallel to the bank close to some brush. 18.25”.
Craig – Biggest catch was an 18″er that hit my jig on some shelf rock about 10am and it was a battle to get the pic and not get blown off my spot.
What is your preferred brand of line and why?
Ryan – I run a few different lines. PowerPro braid, Big game for mono and usually either Seagur Invizx/Abrazx or Sunline or sniper for Fluoro.
Danny – I use braided line with Seaguar flouro leader on my my spinning rods. I use Seaguar Invisx on my bait casters. Invisx seems to cast better for me and have had not anything break it.
Craig – I have switched from P-line tactical to P-line blue label this year just for testing purposes and have been impressed with it, very little abrasion and zero line breakage. Plus I think it’s slightly more supple than the Tactical.
AOY Race Update
We are halfway through the season and the AOY race is nowhere close to being decided. This is likely to go down to the wire, with lots of anglers still in it. In fact, if you drop each angler’s lowest score, there are seven anglers within 15 points of the leader. Lots of fishing to go. For the top 25 Classic berths, almost nobody is out of contention yet if they have a good final four events. So far this year we’ve had 78 different anglers enter events.
Heavy Hitters Race
The quest for the Heavy Hitters title is sort of like the AOY race. There are some leaders, but a lot of angers still in contention. There are four anglers less than five inches behind. Right now looks like Ryan’s to lose since he has an easy drop (16.25) but you can’t count out anyone within 7-8 inches.
Hope everyone gets in some fun fishing in the next month before we return to Table Rock.
The top 25 anglers of the year in NSKA NWA faced a diabolical test in the end of season Classic Championship. Day one to day two stretched from one end of the NSKA region to the other and set up what would be an interesting and challenging event.
Lake Fort Smith, a.k.a. Snake Fort Smith, a.k.a. Dead Sea South, is always a fun time for anglers and presents a tremendous challenge. I’m not saying Lake Fort Smith can be tough, but Jacob Wheeler would keep driving past it on I-540 and won’t take the exit.
The mysterious Lake Fort Smith.
Day one had bluebird skies and little wind for most of the day, and it was a grinder! All except for Cole Sikes who took control on day one with 76.50″ – a huge lead over Sam McClish in 2nd with 67.75″ on the day. Sam did land what has to be a biological freak for that lake and took Big Bass for the event with a 20.75″ largemouth. As day one ended, the Classic was shaping up like last year’s event where the day one leader with a big lead would try to hold on day two.
Top 10 after day one:
Cole Sikes
Sam McClish
Jacob Webber
Tyler Zengerle
Dwain Batey
Jason Kincy
Terrill Standifer
Jason Cowell
James Shumate
Craig Wood
Day two was up on Table Rock, site of two previous events in 2021. Anglers could put in at Holiday Island or Eagle Rock. In stark contrast to day one, anglers really caught’em on the Rock. Jacob Webber made a big move on day two with 87.50″ followed by Craig Wood with 86.50″ on the day. Cole Sikes pulled a very respectable 80.25″ on day two – would it be enough?
Top 10 day two:
Jacob Webber
Craig Wood
Devon Esry
Dwain Batey
Tyler Zengerle
Jason Fields
Terrill Standifer
Kyle Long
Cole Sikes
Justin Brewer
2021 NSKA NWA Classic Champion
2021 Classic Champion – Cole Sikes.
Cole Sikes had the total needed to take the title with 156.75″ for the two days, followed by Jacob Webber with 153.25″ and Tyler Zengerle with a 147.25″ total.
Final Top Ten
Cole Sikes
Jacob Webber
Tyler Zengerle
Dwain Batey
Terrill Standifer
Jason Kincy
Craig Wood
James Shumate
Jason Cowell
Josh Landreth
Angler Roundtable
The grueling two day tournament was challenging and fun. Cole Sikes, Jacob Webber, Tyler Zengerle and I share some of our experiences from the event in this season-ending roundtable discussion:
Overall, how did you attack Lake Fort Smith and what baits were key in your day?
Cole – I knew Lake Fort Smith was going to be tough so I wanted to make sure to get a limit. I knew my best chance of catching a limit would be fishing on the south end where there are more spotted bass. I started on a community hole and caught two keepers and then I moved to steeper banks to fill out my limit. I had a limit in the first hour and it was a huge relief. For the most part I junk fished and caught fish on 5 different baits (popper, jig, deep diving crank bait, spinnerbait and drop shot) but my most consistent bite was fishing a popper on the steeper banks really slow. I ended up catching almost three-limits worth of fish but most were 11” spotted bass.
Jacob – In practice, I tried fishing the north end and the south end. I did much better on the south end as far as numbers go. I threw some big baits in practice in the direction of the dam and had some quality fish show themselves. The plan was to fish a stretch and try to get a small limit early, then head to the dam end and try to catch a couple of those bigger fish. It was pretty much a junk fishing day, but the ones that mattered came on a fluke, pencil popper, and buzz bait.
Tyler – Going into day one, I knew most people would go left from the ramp, towards the creek. To avoid the larger crowd, I made the decision to go straight across from the ramp and fish to the buoys and back, as I fished this section several years ago. My key baits for the day were a wacky worm, a Jewel PeeWee Football Jig, and a shaky head.
Jason – I wasn’t very confident going into the day, pre-fishing was pretty terrible and really struggled. So going into the day I was just going to try to get a limit and stay in the mix. Having turned into a power fishing angler mostly, I put that stuff away for the most part and focused on using a drop shot on some key areas to secure a limit. After that I tried to find a kicker but had no luck. Had to leave early to get up to the Hill for the big game, turned into a fantastic day!
Where did you put in at Table Rock, how did you approach it and what were your key baits on the day?
Cole – I had no idea what to expect on Table Rock so I fished history. I have done well in the past launching at Holiday Island and going down river towards Eagle Rock so that’s what I did. I started my morning by covering a lot of water throwing a buzz bait and whopper plopper. After about an hour of not having much luck, I picked my trusted jig and starting catching a few on bluffs and points. I struggled on day two and couldn’t really figure them out but I was able to grind enough and put together a decent limit. Thank goodness I had a good lead after day one because the guys caught them on day two!
Jacob – I put in at Eagle Rock and went towards Rock Creek. I caught a few good fish right away on a whopper plopper and never got another bite on it the rest of the day. I switched to the chatter bait and every spot I pulled up to they were smashing it.
Tyler – I put in at Holiday Island and went to my normal section that I fish anytime I go there. At first, I attempted to throw a buzzbait and spook with no luck. I eventually got out a fluke and caught my first fish 30 minutes into the tournament. After a few more casts, I put the fluke away. I knew a jig worked well in that area, so I started throwing a Jewel PB&J finesse jig (what I used when I placed 4th during our TR 2.0 tourney). That’s when I really started catching fish. I had a limit by 7:30am and caught 82.75” by 9:00am. I decided to leave early at 1:00pm because I knew I was really competing for 2nd-5th place, since Cole had a commanding 12” lead to start day two.
Jason – Really have not had as much luck historically at Holiday Island so I chose to go to Eagle Rock even though I’d never fished there. Kyle, Ryan and I just pedaled to a creek we’d never fished and started working it over. Eventually started catching a few on a plopper and got things going. Later on I was able to catch a few on a jig and then when the wind picked up was able to catch a few on a spinnerbait. Little disappointed in the day because lots of people wrecked’em so I clearly missed out on the juice.
Of the two day event, talk about the key fish that put you in the money.
Cole – My key fish was the 19.75″ kicker I caught day one on Lake Fort Smith. I knew when I caught that fish I was going to have a chance to win the Classic because how tough the lake was fishing. I caught that fish on a transition spot on the bluff where it went from a vertical bluff to little small rocky point. I threw my popper right up on the bank and popped it a few times and she sucked it under.
Jacob – I think my key fish came on day one. I started out on a small stretch where I thought I was going to get a fast limit and ended up not getting a bite. I was about to switch everything up and go to a new area, but ended up catching my biggest of the day right before moving. That fish made me stick to the game plan and put together an alright limit.
Tyler – The fish that really gave me a chance to be in the money was the 14.75” bass I caught at 2:15pm on Lake Fort Smith. That put me at being one of the four people with limits over 60” and gave me a 5.75” cushion ahead of 5th place.
Jason – I didn’t finish in the money, but that very first drop shot fish I caught on Lake Fort Smith was a confidence booster and I milked an area for about two hours catching several shorts but eventually getting my limit. What a relief.
Did you do anything or think about anything differently for a two day event?
Cole – Like I mentioned above, I knew Lake Fort Smith was going to be the x-factor in determining the classic winner so that’s what I focused 100% on. I did quite a bite of map studying prior to the tournament expecting to be fishing offshore. I prefished and was able to get some confidence in catching a limit but knew it was going to take a kicker to have a chance to win. Other than that I treated the tournament like any other tournament. Hit high-percentage spots even if it meant covering miles of water.
Jacob – Nothing different. I just spent a little more time pre-fishing.
Tyler – I took this tournament one day at a time. I didn’t really treat it much differently than single day tournaments. I went into each day with the same baits tied on and used the ones that I was most confident in. One thing that I normally don’t do is leave early, but I was really craving Whataburger.
Jason – Like Cole said, I had no doubt this would be won or lost on Lake Fort Smith so it was the only place I pre-fished. Kudos to Cole, we both arrived at our starting spot around the same time and we agreed to share the water and it worked out well for us.
What’s your PB Largemouth, Smallie and Spot?
Cole -My personal best Largemouth was a 23.50” on Lake Elmdale in my second kayak tournament ever back in 2017. The largest Smallmouth I have caught was a 20” on Beaver and my largest spotted bass was 18” on beaver as well.
Jacob – PB largemouth was a 6.5lb in a tournament in Bella Vista. No idea for Smallie and Spot.
Tyler – My PB largemouth is a 22.25” from Lincoln. Smallmouth is 18.50, I believe, from Pumpback this year, and my biggest spot is 16.25” caught this year on a section of the Illinois River.
Jason – My personal best Largemouth was a 24″ giant from this year on Possum Kingdom, largest Smallmouth is only 17.50″ from Beaver Lake and largest Spot is 17.25″ on Beaver Lake. Really have a goal this winter into next year to get a 20″ Smallie.
Angler of the Year
The 2021 Angler of the Year race really wasn’t much in doubt halfway through the season. Dwain Batey was a consistent performer all season. Dwain is an exceptional angler and one of the things that makes him so good is he can adapt to any condition and any type of water. His versatility helped him excel all season long to take the crown.
Dwain is not only a great angler, he is a friend and a very giving person. He is always willing to help anyone and has made me a better angler as we’ve talked fishing and I’ve observed how he does things. He’s always willing to teach you a technique – because he knows he’ll still do it better! Really happy for Dwain.
2021 NSKA NWA Angler of the Year – Dwain Batey!
Your 2021 AOY Top Ten:
Dwain Batey
Cole Sikes
Tyler Zengerle
Ryan Paskiewicz
Justin Brewer
Jason Kincy
Kyle Long
Jacob Webber
Devon Esry
Craig Wood
Jacob Webber also took home the Rookie of the Year award and Kyle Long was the 2021 Heavy Hitter Champion. Congratulations to them!
Congratulations to all
Thank you to all anglers who participated in the events, yakpots or just some fun fishing. Hope to see you on the water next year and will be rooting for everyone to catch their personal best!
Next up is the Arkansas State Championship – it’s a fun two-day event and hope many of you can make it.
The fishing-friendly waters of Table Rock welcomed back NSKA for Table Rock 2.0 for 2021 and it was a wild ride.
As many NSKA tournament anglers know, this was the sixth event that involved rain or thunderstorms this year…and this one was a doozy. As Forrest Gump said, “We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin’ rain and big ol’ fat rain, rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath.”
On Saturday a dead calm sunny morning turned into stormaggeddon in the afternoon. In fishing one thing is true, when the weather changes the fishing changes and it was going to help someone catch ’em late.
Tournament Results
As 53 anglers took to the water expectations for catching fish were high. Table Rock put out good numbers in the May event (1.0) and there was some optimism it would be a bit easer than Beaver Lake. Overall a very strong 73% of anglers turned in a limit and with 338 fish caught for a 6.5 average per angler the Rock was on fire again.
Levi Schneider took 1st place in his first NSKA event with 88.00″ on the day (after a 1″ deduction!), followed by Jason Kincy with 84.00″ squeaking by Josh King in a tie-breaker who finished 3rd with 84.00″ on the day. Levi also won Big Bass with a 20.00″ Table Rock tank.
Please hit subscribe on YouTube if you like the recaps, will keep me going!
Angler Roundtable
Top finishers of the event break down the day in the roundtable discussion. A lot of fish were caught that day by Levi, Jason, Josh and Tyler.
What part of Table Rock did you go to and why?
Levi – After having a horrible practice at the Kings River I looked elsewhere. I found a random ramp just north of Emerald Beach that looked really good with a mix or brush piles, docks, and main lake bluff walls with rock. With multiple main lake points, secondary points, and a couple of coves so I had plenty of options no matter where the fish went.
Jason – Put in at Beavertown because I’d pre-fished a couple of spots on Table Rock and just couldn’t get things going so tried something different for the tournament. Rock Creek and Big M was where I wanted to fish because they are so good.
Josh – I wanted to go to the same spot I did in the first Table Rock tournament, but with the water being down 4’ I didn’t think it would be as good. I got on the internet, looked at some maps and found a spot that wasn’t too far of a drive and had several main points. I ended up fishing Owl Creek arm.
Tyler – I chose to fish at Shell Knob because I figured most of the crowd would be at the Kings River ramp or around Big M area. After doing map study, I noticed that there weren’t a lot of bluff walls, but rather shallower water which best suits my fishing style. I chose to fish behind the island (Lost Hill) and that’s where almost all my fish came from.
Key baits or techniques used to catch keepers?
Levi – I caught ’em early with a Rapala X Rap in a gaudy orange chartreuse color although those fish flopped off the board before I could snap a picture of them. After that all of my fish came of a CJs custom 1/2 oz PB&J football jig with either a green and purple Strike King Rage Craw or a Googan baits Krackin craw.
Jason – I got to power fish all day…pleased to say I didn’t touch a spinning rod one time! Heddon zara spook, War Eagle buzzbait, ZMan chatterbait, Booyah Covert spinnerbait and Slowtown football jig were all contributors.
Josh – I started with a buzzbait and landed one keeper pretty early. I switched to a wacky worm and turned out a small limit. I then put on a 1/2oz football jig, caught several and culled up four fish.
Tyler – All of the fish in my final five came off of a Jewel Finesse jig in PB&J with a Gambler Lures craw in orange/green pumpkin for the trailer. I did catch a few on a shaky head and Ned rig, but nothing of significant size.
Anything notable about catching your biggest fish?
Levi – My biggest fish came off the same main lake point I caught my 5th fish of the day to fill my limit. After I fished the cove by the point with little luck I decided to back out to the point mainly cause the clouds had came back and that’s when I had noticed my biggest bites would happen and sure enough after a few casts and a couple of hops the 20” largie ate my jig and if you saw my picture of him he was a little messed up.
Jason – I’d found a specific pattern by about 10:00 and was running it, catching a fish almost every time I’d find a certain thing. My 19.25″ kicker was cool because I saw it flash a second before it thwanked my bait and the fight was on. Sadly, shortly after this I lost my chance to catch Levi when another biggie pulled off after doing the exact same thing.
Josh – Absolutely, it was in the last five minutes of the game. It was literally going to be my last cast and I was almost back to my vehicle. I’ve never worked so fast and so hard at reeling, catching, unhooking and photographing a fish as I did for that one. I was very nervous it wouldn’t upload before 3:00pm.
Tyler – My biggest catch was 18.50”. I caught him going back through the same stretch of water I already fished about 45 minutes before the hurricane came through. I threw between some chunk rock and wood and pulled him out. He went airborne, and as soon as I had him in the net, the jig popped out. One second later, she probably wouldn’t have been in my final five.
What is one tip on getting good photos you can give new anglers?
Levi – A couple of things are recommend are take your measuring board with you anytime you go fishing and practice taking picture with every single fish you catch. Also if you’re a visual learner like I am, I mostly learned how to from watching many Greg Blanchard videos which is why when I started tournament fishing it was like second nature. Also measure in the lowest part of your kayak to reduce the chance of your fish from flopping out of the kayak.
Jason – Like Levi said, take your board and take photos when not in a tournament. Also like what Josh said about a routine and having everything in its place so you have to think less when in the moment. I’m very superstitious about this and have to put everything back exactly where it goes before starting to fish again, haha.
Josh – What is one tip on getting good photos you can give new anglers? I’m still learning myself and I still make several mistakes, but for me the key is having everything ready and always in the same place and doing the process the same way. Having that muscle memory helps when I have those rushed or excited moments.
Tyler – I recommend practicing at home. I went in the garage, sat in my kayak and moved my board around and figured out the best orientation that is most comfortable for me. After taking a few pics, I found a way that I don’t have to worry about my identifier being cutoff and that my whole board will fit in the picture. I’ve also reached out to other people with the same boat as me and looked at the way they did it. Yes, I know there are more variables when you’re out on the water, but having a plan in place before you hit the water is important. You can tweak some things when you’re actually measuring a fish. Snap a couple pics and always review them before submitting. It’s not fun getting an 18”+ fish DQ’d…I would know.
Classic Standings & AOY Race
Well the season is about over but there are a LOT of anglers in the hunt for a Classic berth. Right now I’d say there are 10-12 spots up for grabs depending on how everyone does in the final event on Beaver Lake. Lots of movement coming for sure.
In the AOY race, Dwain Batey has a chokehold on first that I believe nobody can overcome based on the numbers. (but I’m no mathematician) There is a slight chance for a few…Kyle Long and Tyler Zengerle in particular to catch up if they dominate the last event and the Classic and Dwain stumbles in the Classic. We will see what we see.
Was looking pretty early like Kyle Long had his own chokehold on Heavy Hitters, but like last year things tighten up down the stretch. Although he has a good lead, there are some threats to the crown in this last event.
If Kyle does not upgrade…Tyler, Ryan and Jason all have an outside shot at stealing it in the last event. Tyler would need a 21.75″ to win, Ryan needs a 21.75″ to win, and Jason needs a 21.50″ to win. These are not likely on Beaver Lake, but possible!
Water levels in May on Beaver Lake have been following a familiar pattern in 2021, carrying on a year over year over year tradition. High water along with a week of rain for the four straight time prior to an NSKA event made for daily changing water conditions. If you look at the past three years on Beaver Lake in May, you should prepare to fish in high water – which is a good thing on the Dead Sea.
Beaver Lake in May means water levels between 1,126 and 1,129. Source: uslakes.info
The past two tournaments I’ve had to work really hard to understand what’s going on with the lakes. After a terrible start to the year I needed to ensure a decent finish. This meant a lot of driving around of Beaver Lake the week prior to the event, and the weekend prior I hit two of my go-to areas on Beaver Lake South with horrifically bad pre-fishing results. This told me I needed to do something else…that the river area felt like it was dead for the most part and the action would be down lake toward the Hwy 12 bridge. The results I think showed this to be mostly true at the top.
Beaver Lake South Tournament Results
We had a really strong field for this one, including some top anglers who came in from NSKA Central and RVKA. Love the fact they came up! May is a great month to fish Beaver Lake because of the elevated water levels, still some spawning or fry guarders present, and with some color in the water – it gives an angler a better chance of getting them shallow. Of the 53, a really strong 70% turned in a limit for the day, and I suspect that everyone who got on the water turned in at least one keeper.
I was fortunate to catch enough to take the win with 87.75″, followed by Christa Hibbs with 84.25″, and then Justin Brewer with 82.75″ for third place. Big Bass was a good battle, where Christa and Justin both caught a 21.75″ and Christa won the tiebreaker to take the prize. (Justin beat me in a tiebreaker for third place on Table Rock, so he’ll be OK. Ha!)
Here is your top ten from Beaver Lake South:
Jason Kincy – 87.75
Christa Hibbs – 84.25 (RVKA)
Justin Brewer – 82.75
Jeriamy Vann – 81.00
Chris Jones – 79.75 (RVKA)
Garrett Morgan – 76.00 (NSKA Central)
Josh Goforth – 75.75
Roy Roberts – 75.50
Michael Burgess – 75.25
Jeff Malott – 75.00
Christa Hibbs’ 21.75″ Big Bass had a gigantic head and a skinny body! Source: TourneyX
Angler Roundtable
So how’d the top finishers for the event do it and what are their thoughts on Beaver Lake? I joined Christa Hibbs, Justin Brewer and Jeriamy Vann in this recap discussion. Here’s the scoop:
What part of the lake did you fish and why?
Jason – After doing a lot of looking around, I decided that dirty water was going to be the key to a chance to win. Monte Ne gets really dirty when it rains hard in Rogers, and I’ve fished it quite a bit because it is the closest part of the lake to my house. Took a chance and it paid off.
Christa – I fished the Horseshoe Bend area for the event. I decided on this area because in the past it’s always fished well for me and held good fish each time I’ve fished it.
Justin – I put in at the War Eagle Marina and fished pockets on the main channel swing. That was my pattern at Table Rock so I tried to duplicate it at Beaver. Only difference was that I didn’t get the dirty water I was hoping for.
Jeriamy – I went just south of the HWY 12 bridge Saturday. Really wanted to fish a stretch that I had never fished before and this area looked really nice on the maps that I had studied all week.
Describe how you caught your biggest bass of the day, and what on?
Jason – After catching several keepers early on a spinnerbait, the bite started to slow as the rain cleared off. Wanted to keep throwing a moving bait so chose a white chatterbait. On a long cast that landed right next to a bush, it immediately got heavy and could tell that she was wrapped up in a bush so I just tried to keep some pressure on and she eventually came out. Second 20″ fish that morning, only the second time that’s happened to me in a tournament. Was very lucky.
Christa – My biggest bass of the day was the 21.75 that came around 7 am. I’d missed a bunch of fish just swatting at the buzzbait that morning, so I decided to put a trailer hook on. Three casts later, that big one hit it. Once in the net I noticed it was only hooked by that trailer hook. I luckily adjusted just at the right time.
Justin – My biggest bass came on a wacky rigged Yum Dinger. I pretty much kept it in my hand all day with the hope that eventually I would come across a big female or some decent males still on beds. It took me all day but I eventually found the big female and then a bonus male with her.
Jeriamy – I caught a 19.25″ which was my biggest of the day on a Santone Rattling Jig Black, Blue and Purple with a (CRAWL) trailer. I eased up real quiet to some floating debris and submerged trees in the back of a pocket and had just enough room to make a pitch across to the bank and work the bait along big root ball. I twitched the jig a few times and she came out from under the wood and crushed it.
Was seeing 20 / 20 on tournament Saturday. Source: kayakfishingfocus.com
Beaver Lake showed out a bit on Saturday, what are your thoughts on the lake as a fishery?
Jason – My grandfather, dad and his brothers fished Beaver Lake from when it was formed, and took me there when I was a kid so I will always have soft spot for this lake because of that. It’s a tough place at times but I really like the challenge of a changing lake rather than when people can just hit their honey holes. I joke about it being the Dead Sea, but it’s all in fun, you can catch’em there! For NWA it is our premier fishery and a beautiful place that we are lucky to have nearby.
Christa – I’ve always enjoyed fishing Beaver Lake. It may not always kick out the 20+ inch fish like a lot of other lakes, but I’ve had some awesome fun fishing days out there. In this tournament it produced some nice ones. I think with the heat of the summer not quite here yet, the higher water level, and cloud cover we had on tournament day helped keep those big ones out roaming and more vulnerable. Congratulations to all the top finishers!
Justin – I know many people call it the Dead Sea but other than a couple of trips I’ve always enjoyed the lake. Especially if I can find some dirtier water it’s always put up good limits for me.
Jeriamy – I’m pretty biased about Beaver lake. It’s my favorite with Lake Ouachita being a close second. I was a little surprised at the number of fish caught Saturday, but then I realized that I shouldn’t be with all the sticks in this NSKA group.
Video recap of my day on Beaver Lake, including baits my best five were caught on:
Heavy Hitters Standings
The Heavy Hitters pool is starting to take shape as we’re now four events in. As a reminder, anglers take their top fish from five events, so there’s a long way to go. This week was a real plus for me and Jeriamy getting some big ones on the board to make up some ground. Kyle Long still leads and is in a good spot, with Roy Roberts and Josh Howard on his tail. Again, don’t sleep on those with 20s on the board like James Haeberle, Tyler Zengerle and Cole Sikes. They are still in great shape.
NSKA Classic / AOY Race
The top 25 finishers in AOY will make the end of season Classic Championship. It’s too early to tell much, but let’s take a look at who’s “in” as of today. Keep in mind it’s the top six events with two drops, so a lot is going to change. Everyone has a chance to get in at this point. For overall AOY – Dwain, Michael and Roy are still in the best position, but any angler with two scores above 95 is likely still a threat to close the gap.
Next Up – Pumpback
We’ll do a preview for Pumpback next week – it’s a really weird and cool little lake (More formally known as Chimney Rock Lake). If you haven’t been there, be sure to mark your calendar for June 5 to experience this pool of giant smallmouth and largemouth bass.
The latest battle on the water for NSKA NWA took place on a section of Table Rock Lake, from the Shell Knob area up into the Kings and White River arms. It was a great opportunity for anglers to try out some new water and to catch a lot of fish on a great fishery.
Bass on Table Rock were biting for the NSKA gang.
A week and a half before the event there was significant rain and flooding which were going to affect the water for tournament day. Although Table Rock was a complete muddy mess a week out, when Beaver Lake and Table Rock both were running water through their respective dams, it really flushed a lot of the mud and debris down lake. This resulted in evolving conditions leading up to the event, meaning anglers had to find the water they were most comfortable with.
Table Rock Tournament Results
There were 53 anglers entered in the event and they accounted for a lot of fish caught. A strong 87% of anglers turned in a limit, about 20% higher than the average event. Timing worked out well for the event with bass in all phases of spawn in the lake, meaning there were many good fish to be had.
Michael Burgess won Big Bass with this 20″ Largemouth
Dwain Batey took 1st place with 89.75″, Michael Burgess was second with 88.25″ and Justin Brewer third with 85.50″ on the day. Brewer beat me out on a tiebreaker putting me in 4th on the day, also with an 85.50″ total. Big Bass was also won by Michael Burgess with a 20″ largemouth.
Here are the top 10 finishers:
Dwain Batey 89.75″
Michael Burgess 88.25″
Justin Brewer 85.50″
Jason Kincy 85.50″
Carson McBride 85.00″
Kyle Long 84.50″
Devon Esry 84.00″
Justin Phillips 84.00″
Josh Landreth 82.75″
Jason Coleman 82.25″
The complete tournament results are available on TourneyX.
Video recap and highlights from my day on Table Rock with 85.5″
Table Rock Angler Recaps
Here are some thoughts and insight from the top five anglers from the NSKA NWA Table Rock event. Dwain Batey, Michael Burgess, Justin Brewer, myself and Carson McBride share how things went down on the water and some other thoughts.
In general what area did you go and why?
Dwain – I fished the Kings River hoping it would have more color in the water than the White River did.
Michael – I fished on the white river side. I didn’t have time to practice so I just went to the same area as my previous tournament for MOYAK.
Justin – I chose to put in at Viola. I figured that section would still be the dirties water and dirty water is my strength.
Jason – Fished a creek arm around the Big M section of the White River area. Had fished there previously in the Moyak event and the water looked like the color I wanted to fish.
Carson – I fished the Kings River arm, mainly because I wanted to get as far away from Beaver Town as I could because I don’t like fishing that area
Overall what was the key bite for your day’s success, any specific baits you want to call out?
Dwain – I found fish in debris mats which had shad spawning on them. I used a Big Bite Baits BFE with a Trokar TK130 flipping hook and a 3/8 oz weight Texas rigged to punch into those mats.
Michael – My day started off slow with no bites in my first 1.5 hrs. I connected my first fish on a jig in the bushes but it was a small one. I continued to try to repeat the pattern but only came up with three small fish. I switched to the other side which was shallower and picked up a spinner bait. Within 10 casts I had caught three, one being a 18″ fish. It dialed me into what I needed to throw and where to fish.
Justin – I started early with a spinnerbait and flipping a big creature bait to catch my small limit. I threw a wacky rigged dinger and got bit twice which keyed me in to my main pattern of flipping a Texas rigged black and blue Yum Dinger with the smallest weight I could get away with and still penetrate the and the trash on the bank.
Jason – Unlike a lot of others, seems like my fish came on more variety of baits. Early on caught them on a War Eagle buzzbait and late morning got my 18″ and a 17″ on a Booyah Covert spinnerbait. As the day wore on still caught several on the spinnerbait but did some late culls on skipping a football jig with a YUM Spine Craw at bushes and sawdust areas.
Carson – My key bait was a half ounce flipping jig with a Rage Menace trailer, I was flipping it around isolated buck brush and bushes and punching through the debris mats, and any time I came to a spot where someone’s yard was flooded, a white spinnerbait with gold willow leaf blades always produced a bite.
First NSKA on Table Rock, how did you feel about it and do you like events outside of Arkansas, why?
Dwain – I always like to fish new bodies of water, or be forced into fishing areas of familiar lakes that I’ve never been to, so I always like when we have diversity of venues.
Michael – I enjoyed fishing Table Rock, it’s a fantastic fishery with some big fish. I’m not much of a fan fishing small lakes, it just seems to easy and I want a challenge.
Justin – I feel like I have done pretty good at Table Rock events in the past so I was excited about this event. I like venturing out to different states and different waters. It helps you as an angler to travel and figure out different bodies of water.
Jason – I’d never fished Table Rock before the Moyak tournament a couple of weeks ago and now have fished it a few times. It’s a great lake and clearly has a better fish population than what we encounter on Beaver Lake. Hope we go back next year.
Carson – I liked having and NSKA event on table rock I just wish we could’ve went all over the entire lake.
If you could only have one rod / reel / line setup to fish with, what would it be and why?
Dwain – I would have to go with a 7′ 2” medium heavy baitcaster with an 8.3:1 reel, I am not brand loyal just anything that will get the job done. I picked this because it would cover a variety of different baits/techniques.
Michael – My main set up I would take would be my jig set up with 15# Invizx line. I personally love fishing a jig but I can also easily switch to a Texas rig or any bottom bumping bait.
Justin – I would have to go with a baitcast setup. 7:5:1 reel and 7’ medium heavy rod and 15 pound fluorocarbon line. That will cover with just about anything. Jig, cranking, spinnerbait and even a wacky rig.
Jason – My most flexible setup is a medium heavy jig / Texas rig rod with a Shimano Curado 7:4:1 reel with 12 lb floro. With this I can fish a jig, Texas rig, spinnerbait, fluke, or about any single hook style bait.
Carson – If I could only have one rod reel setup to fish with it would be a 7 foot 3 heavy fast with a jackhammer chatterbait, that’s about my all time favorite setup to throw when I can get away with it
Heavy Hitters Update
Three weeks into Heavy Hitters and Kyle Long is in the driver’s seat for now, with Josh Howard, Cole Sikes and Brian Lookadoo right behind him.
With five events left, everyone is still in it since it is the best five fish total. Things are going to tighten up and shake up quite a bit. Keep your eye on Tyler Zengerle and James Haeberle who both have a 20 in their list, they will close the gap quickly in coming events.
Next Up – Beaver Lake South, May 22
The next tournament for NSKA will be the Ozark Kayak Beaver Lake South event, which depending on the water level could be a smash-fest or a dink-fest. Get signed up now on TourneyX for this battle royale on the Dead Sea. The highlight of the day will be the post-tourney weigh-in at Las Fajitas in Lowell. See you there!
The first tournament of 2021 had some familiar and some new names in the top 10 as anglers to the road, seeking out the best water they could for this event. Shogun (thanks!) was the sponsor of the Road Runner and the radius for the event was 50 miles from the Shogun restaurant in Fayetteville.
A warming trend during the week were capped off by a serious round of thunderstorms and heavy rain in the northern part of the radius on Friday night. This made for some tough decisions on where to go. Because of the storms and rain, el presidente Taylor Frizzell wisely moved the start back an hour that morning.
Road Runner Results
With the event coming early in the season combined with rainy and stormy weather, participation was a respectable 73 anglers. Overall, 35 of 73 (48%) anglers turned in a limit, while 63 of 73 (86%) turned in at least one bass. This is on par with the last two Road Runners held in March, and in fact a bit up from last year.
Once again, one lake showed up as usual in the Road Runner. Siloam City Lake produced the win again. In five of the last six NWA Road Runners, Siloam City Lake has been the winning lake – 2018, 2019, 2020 (2nd RR) and 2021. Additionally, in these same six events Siloam City Lake has put NINE anglers in the top four spots.
Sam McClish’s 20.25″ bass looks like its downed some beer and wings right before this pic. It won Sam a NSKA 20+ sticker. Dwain Batey and Cole Sikes got’em too!
Event favorite, Dwain Batey, took first place with 93.25″ and Big Bass of 21.5″ to take home some good $$. Sam McClish took 2nd place with a strong 86.50″ while Carson McBride jumped back into things with 86.25″ for third place. The rest of the Top 10 were Michael Burgess, Roy Roberts, Ian Howard, Heath Berner, Cole Sikes, Justin Wright and Michael Sandlin. See the full results on the TourneyX tournament page.
My day was a disaster, marked by poor site selection followed by poor judgment and poor execution. If you haven’t seen the video of the debacle, check it out on YouTube.
Angler Recaps
Good news for those of us who didn’t do as well, the top four anglers sat down to share their secrets for finishing in the money! Kayak anglers are a different breed and one of the awesome things about our club is the willingness to share and help others. Here’s what Dwain, Sam, Carson and Michael had to say:
1. Where did you go and why?
Dwain – I chose Siloam Springs City lake, there were a lot of good options within the radius, but having just came from fishing the Hobie event in Broken Bow I didn’t have much time to pre-fish, so picking some random place especially this time of year didn’t feel right. I was able to fish a couple hours on Tuesday and Wednesday and just checked a few baits. As soon as I would catch a fish I’d put that bait up and switch to something else. I got bit on 3 baits in practice.
Sam – I pre-fished 3 other lakes the last couple weeks, but with the shad kill I was skunked each outing. I went to Lake Atalanta for a couple hours the weekend before the tournament and caught a few 14s on a jig and chatterbait.
Carson – I went to Lake Sequoyah, I have a lot of time on the water there and feel very confident during a road runner style event.
Michael – I started off at Mills Creek on Table Rock. My research for spring time screamed this would be a good cove to fish and catch some big girls. It had a channel creek running into it. Deep banks and a feeder creek.
2. Did the big rain the night before affect your fishing area?
Dwain – Yes, but in a positive way. This time of year City Lake gets a lot of floating slime that really hampers fishing with moving baits. Well Tuesday pre-fishing it wasn’t that bad, and I caught a few fish on a crankbait, but the very next day it was so bad I couldn’t throw a crankbait at all. So the rain actually pushed some of that stuff on through with the current and let me actually fish a crankbait during the event.
Sam – With the rain I had planned for it to really help push the fish to the banks, I was wrong. I paddled around trying to figure out my next move and kept graphing fish in the 25-30ft range on steep drops.
Carson – The big rain the night before majorly affected the whole lake, with the white rivers running into it, the lake progressively got muddier throughout the day, so I tried to stay away from the mud line by fishing the very north end of the lake all day.
3. General approach that worked for you, techniques, etc,?
Dwain – I started out by demoralizing Kyle and Cole by catching 4 fish in the first 16 minutes within sight of them throwing the new Skirmish Baits AIM7 jerkbait in my Batey Shad color. You have to set the tone for the day, you know? In all seriousness, I couldn’t believe those fish were in that spot, much less eating the jerk bait on command, but it really did help me mentally the rest of the day to pull up and look like I knew they’d be there. Then that stopped working, and I didn’t catch the 5th fish for a while, finally figuring out what I mentioned above that the slime wasn’t as heavy and I could throw my crankbait. Well I caught one pretty quickly on that for my limit fish. I culled all of those early fish starting with a 17” on a ned rig at 10:33 am, and then one about every half hour up to an hour, to cull to my final total at 1:06 pm. The last 4 culls were all on the flat sided crankbait, wasn’t one of mine, didn’t even have custom paint on it. The fish were off the edges of spawning flats feeding up as they waited on “go time” which isn’t far off if these warm temperatures hold up at least for these smaller lakes anyway.
Sam – The only option I had at that point battling the crosswind was to tie on an A-Rig.
Carson – I threw a jig all day long around lay downs and rock and that is what I threw all day long basically, never even had a ned rig tied on.
Michael – After 5 hours and only 1 good fish to show for it that creek wasn’t producing for me. When I arrived at my 2nd location the rain pretty much blew out every spot I fished the week before. I found a bank wall with the same setup and started to throw a jig. My 3rd cast and I got bumped, was the only thing I needed to know I was in the right area and throwing the right color. I also caught them early on a jerkbait and on a craw colored crankbait.
4. What was your key fish and anything special about the catch?
Dwain – After my jerk bait bite stopped working, I picked up the ned and caught a17” fish that was in my final bag, but that didn’t produce anything else, and I had just stopped running that down a full bank to give it a legitimate shot to work, and when I pulled off that bank I picked up the flat sided crankbait and hurled it out in a slightly deeper spot where fish have been known to stage and caught the 21.50″ which gave me confidence to keep throwing that flat side. From there I caught one almost an hour later that was a good cull, then about 30 minutes later again with a good cull, then another hour and my final cull all on that same flat sided bait. The main key was just believing that they’d show up as the day went on, and having the confidence to wait them out.
Carson – I had 2 key fish actually, very late in the day I decided to do something big, I have a spot I can go to and normally feel good about catching a good one or two but wasn’t confident because of the rain, I said screw it and made the move anyways, that’s where I caught a 19.75″ and a 17.75″ in the last hour of the whole thing, bumped me from 74 inches to 86.25″ total.
Sam – I’d like to say my key fish was catching my 20.25″ but it had to be the first fish I caught that was a 16” it helped confirm (1) Those were definitely bass at 30ft and (2) they were hungry. That bite was hot from 10:15 ’till about 12:30. I caught about 11 fish in that timeframe doing that. I didn’t get a single bite before then or after that.
Michael – Highlights of my day was watching a coyote swim across the cove chasing a deer and getting checked by the game warden for the first time ever.
Dwain Batey’s Big Bass, I like how the top fins are at full attention!
Heavy Hitters Update
Well, I’m off to a bad start on this one. Need to get a good fish in the Road Runner to get things going. Here are the current standings, with Cole and Brian and Jason off to a great start! Who will be crowned this year’s Heavy Hitter? Still time to enter since you have 7 events left and only need best 5, check out the rules and how to sign up.
Next Up – MLF on Beaver Lake
How many “Beaver Lake Specials” can you catch? Those 12-inchers can win this one for you if there are enough of them. Get ready and see you on the water.
It’s about one month out from the season opener for Natural State Kayak Anglers in NW Arkansas. The schedule-makers this year put together an interesting run of tournaments which should provide something for everyone – whether you are just having fun or are trying to win.
What can we expect from the coming schedule? What are anglers saying? Going into the season who is in the top 25 angler list for NWA? Read on and find out!
2021 Schedule Breakdown
This will be my sixth season fishing events in NWA and I think this is the best and most diverse schedule yet. The board did some surveying of anglers after last year and took their feedback to craft this gauntlet of events that will be fun, but will also ensure the Angler Of the Year will have earned it!
NWA Road Runner – March 13
Don’t miss out on the Road Runner.
Road Runners are always a wildcard, this time of year finding the right spot within the 50-mile radius may mean more than how good an angler is at catching fish. With the freezing weather in February it will be interesting to see where things stand on tournament day. Historically the first event gets some big totals, someone will catch ’em but it could be tough for a lot of folks. Don’t over think this one, go somewhere you feel most confident and see what happens. Last year this was won on Oklahoma water, will it happen again? Shout out to Shogun for sponsoring this event!
MLF Beaver Lake – April 10
Very excited to take on an MLF event where everyone is on same water – Beaver Lake. The Dead Sea is no longer dead in recent years, it should be rocking in April and over a zillion bass may be caught on this day. For those who don’t know, an MLF event means you catch as many keepers as possible, not just your best five. Just keep catching and submitting fish. It’s going to be fascinating to see if shallow largemouth or deeper smallmouth will be the key to this one. (Don’t forget those feisty spotted bass!) Size doesn’t matter as much in this one, everybody has a chance if they can generate enough bites. This is the one event this year that there will be a 11″ minimum. Thanks Wasabi of Fayetteville for sponsoring this one!
Table Rock Lake – May 8
This is a new one, an event on Table Rock Lake, considered a much better fishery than Beaver. Anglers will be able to choose from the Beavertown area all the way down covering a good portion of Table Rock. Having an ‘away’ tournament like this should really help even the playing field and as someone who loves to fish new places, I’m really looking forward to this one. Table Rock is known for a great fish population, there should be LOTS of limits turned in. Custom Tees and Graphics is sponsoring this one, thank you!
Beaver Lake South – May 22
Back to Beaver for this late-may slugfest. Bass should be in spawn or post-spawn mode all over the lake so there will be plenty of fish caught. This section of the lake is the most diverse, with skinny water fishing in the War Eagle or White River areas all the way down to the deeper and usually clearer water of Horseshoe to Beaver Shores. In this event you should literally be able to catch bass with almost any technique you prefer. Thank you to Ozark Kayak for their support of this event!
Don’t touch the tail this year, body groping only. That red Ketch board looks hot!
Pumpback – June 5
If you have never caught a smallmouth, especially a giant smallmouth, this is the tournament to enter. Pumpback is a really interesting place and holds a lot of fish and some BIG smallies. Don’t sleep on the largemouth though, there are some real tanks in this lake. It was really cool, yet bizarre, to have this lake drop several feet in a couple of hours during the tournament last year. We may see some Oklahoma Kayak Anglers entering this one, it should be a lot of fun! Ginger Rice and Noodle Bar is the presenting sponsor of this one.
North Beaver Lake – June 26
Ah, my jet-ski and wakeboat friends…we meet again. Beaver Lake will be party central by late June and the fishing is going to start to get tougher. This time we’re up North in the big water. Unlike the South end, there are almost unlimited places to put in and fish, giving everyone plenty of room and options. Smallmouth may be a factor down by the dam, or you might chase bigger largemouth in Prairie Creek. Turn in a limit and you’ve had a good day. A big kicker will be needed though to be in the money.
Nice jet-ski bro. Thanks for showing it to me fifty times.
River Road Runner – July 17
A River Road Runner is back on the schedule for the first time since 2017, and immediately controversy began. What’s a river? What’s not a river? Is this drainage pipe a river? That’s not a river, it’s a lake! And so is that one! To clean up the debates, boundaries have been set for sections of the White River between Twin Bridges to Blue Springs, White River from Beaver Dam to the Beaver Bridge, Elk River from Pineville to Mt Shira, and the Illinois from some random place I can’t identify on the map to Siloam Springs. July is a great time for a river event, glad to see it back on the schedule.
Beaver Lake – August 14
Beaver Lake in August is the crucible that tests an angler’s patience, spins some out, and can break your confidence in two. And I LOVE it! Going on the Dead Sea in the dog days of summer and catching a limit is a rewarding achievement. And our friends the jet-skiers and wake boarders? Yes, they will be there as well. Will anglers find their winning bag dirt-deep in the rivers, or in the cooler blue waters near the dam? This one will be key for those on the edge of making the NSKA Classic 25 angler field.
End of Season Classic
The 25 anglers who finish highest in the AOY will get to compete in this end of year, two day Championship event. Making the Classic is an achievement in itself and culminates a successful season. This season the Classic is going to be amazing! One day on the wild waters of Lake Fort Smith (a.k.a. – Snake Fort Smith) and one day up by the Missouri line around Holiday Island. If you win this one, you’ve done something! We are also hearing there may be more rewards in store for Classic anglers this season…
Wild and mysterious Lake Fort Smith is back this year for the Classic!
We asked veteran NSKA NWA anglers Billy Bowden, Kyle Long, and Tim Hotchkin to join me in sharing some thoughts on the season and advice for new tournament anglers:
What event are you looking forward to the most and why?
Billy – I am for sure looking forward to our Table Rock event due to the fact that I’ve never fished there. From what I have heard, Table Rock fishes much better than Beaver but also sets up a lot like Beaver which is what everyone in our group is used to.
Tim – This one is a tough one for me. I am looking forward to both the MLF Event on Beaver and then the Pumpback Event in Oklahoma the most. The MLF Event on Beaver because I love the format and I think it will create some excitement. The Pumpback event because its just a unique lake and has the potential of catching some trophy sized Smallmouth like John Wofford caught last year.
Kyle – Usually I’m always looking forward to the first event because I’m so anxious to get going, but this year I think I’ve thought more about the MLF than any other event. Where can I go on Beaver and catch 40 fish? Also Pumpback again just because…tank smallies.
Jason – The River Road Runner, because it is going to be the most unpredictable one due to the different options. The flowing rivers of the Elk and Illinois versus the lesser current sections of the White River offer good contrasts. No matter where I wind up, it will be water I’m not as familiar with, which is always fun to explore somewhere new.
Best advice for someone new to tournaments?
Billy – Best advice for new anglers…Make sure your fish is legal before submitting it to TourneyX and make sure the place you plan on launching from is public and accessible according to the rules. Navionics and Google maps sometimes run right into people’s back yards so watch for that.
Tim – Take your time reviewing the rules and if you have questions reach out to someone for clarification. Also, while on the water take your time and not get into a rush while taking pictures. Make sure and ask plenty of questions, everyone was new at one point. Also don’t get upset if you get a fish DQ’d or a deduction. It has happened to all of us when we are learning how to submit correct photos. Anyone that is new is welcome to reach out to me directly if they have questions. If I don’t know the answer I can probably help point them in the right direction.
Tim in the hot tub in Gentry.
Kyle – Best advice is watch some tournament videos (Shameless plug: Kyle Long Fishing) and just familiarize yourself with everything that doesn’t have to do with actually the catching of the fish. Fishing is fishing. Kayak fishing is just fishing but from a kayak. Learning the rules, how to measure a fish, how to photo, TourneyX…that’s the part that every newcomer needs to get familiar with and practice. Also have a good organization system that fits what you do and what you like.
Jason – If you are new to tournaments overall or kayak tournaments, most importantly just go have a good time. Tournaments make you better, but they are supposed to be fun. You don’t have to win to meet personal goals. Don’t get frustrated if you lose a fish off the board or mess up a photo submission. We’ve ALL done it and it’s a part of the sport. Finally, ask questions of others – kayak anglers are friendly and willing to help out!
Do you have a personal goal for the season?
Billy – Personal goal for this season is to win an event. I feel I’ve been so close for a while now. Just looking forward to getting it done!
Tim – Just to fish all of the NSKA NWA Events. The last couple of years have been really difficult for me to fish and now that things are somewhat settling down I am really looking forward to fishing with everyone more. My stretch goal is to do well enough to finish in the Top 10 for AOY, but I know that will be incredibly difficult with the quality of anglers we have in this club.
Kyle – I’d love to break PB’s, love to win ’em all, love to make a ton of money…but I guess if I had to narrow it down, my goal is this…at the end of each tournament, I wanna feel like I have a chance to place/win with what I have in my bag regardless of what anyone else has. If I don’t then I don’t but I wanna know my bag has a legit shot when 3:00 hits. If someone else wins then hats off for beating me…but you had to earn it.
Jason – Really want to improve in a couple of type of events. I always stink early in the year, so want to do better in the pre-spawn timeframe. The MLF-style events have been disasters for me with a total of eight fish in two tournaments. Really am hoping to improve upon that one in particular!
Pre-Season NSKA NWA Top 25 Anglers
This list means nothing and is done just for fun! It really means nothing once it is lines in for the first tournament – the fish will do the talking then. Until then, thought it would be fun (and controversial) to list out a pre-season Top 25 for NSKA NWA.
This is NOT the Angler of the Year ranking and will not be a recurring list. Every year new anglers jump in and win events and do very well. For this list I took the 2020 regular season finish, Classic finish and State Tournament finish averages. Then I did a bit of nudging up and down in a few places to get the list right. It’s not perfect.
But as of today…this is the list.
Rank
Angler
1
Dwain Batey
2
Justin Brewer
3
Ryan Paskiewicz
4
Cole Sikes
5
Roy Roberts
6
Jason Kincy
7
Kyle Long
8
Tyler Zengerle
9
Chris Needham
10
Jeriamy Vann
11
Devon Esry
12
Michael Burgess
13
James Shumate
14
Jason Coleman
15
Justin Phillips
16
Jeff Malott
17
Andrew Newsom
18
Billy Bowden
19
Josh Howard
20
Craig Wood
21
Danny Dutton
22
Jon Swann
23
Chad Warford
24
Wayne Johnson
25
Jason Cowell
Not on the list? Don’t worry, it’s not a real list and doesn’t matter when the first tournament starts! There are some anglers who didn’t fish much last year such as Tim Hotchkin, Bo Sarratt, Brandon Prince and Taylor Frizzell that easily could be in this list with a full season.
John and Hope Wofford are not on the list because they will be competing in NSKA Central this year (we’re going to miss you!). A few anglers such as Chris Needham, Andrew Newsom and Jason Coleman got bumped up because they couldn’t fish either the Classic or State but deserved to be ranked higher. Finally I just moved a few around based on gut feel.
Dwain deserves to be number one based on winning the State Championship, but honestly take the top five and you can put them in any order!
GLHF
It’s almost go-time! If you are a new kayak angler or an old-school yakker, hope to see you on the water and have some fun fishing with you this year. Tournaments aren’t everything, let’s get out and do some fun fishing as well! Good Luck, Have Fun!
Orlando Bloom on the bridge on the Beaver bridge…probably dreaming about a giant Table Rock bass.
The region where the tailwaters from Beaver Dam merge into Table Rock Lake is one of the most scenic spots in Northwest Arkansas. The waters from Beaver Town to Holiday Island provided a lot of diversity for anglers as they took on the final regular season event of 2019. The most striking feature of the area is the yellow bridge in Beaver, Arkansas, which was the backdrop in some key scenes for Orlando Bloom in the pretty terrible movie called Elizabethtown from 2005. Hopefully director Cameron Crowe and Orlando hit the water while they were on set.
This year’s regular season finale had a lot of drama as the top AOY contenders entered crunch time and had to catch’em. Additional drama was in the air as the rest of the field tried to solidify their spot in the top 25 for the NSKA Classic coming up in September. The final 25 isn’t out yet, but based on some initial calculations there were risers and fallers based on this event.
Beaver Town Results
It was a hot, hot day in the Ozarks but the fish cooperated with a few of the anglers while they frustrated others. Overall, 39% of anglers turned in a limit while a very strong 84% turned in at least one keeper. Once again some familiar names finished at or near the top. Cole Sikes took first place with 83.75″, Dwain Batey took second with 77″ and Jeriamy Vann third with 73.25″. Sikes also took home the Big Bass prize with a 19.5″ kicker.
Top Ten Finishers:
Cole Sikes
Dwain Batey
Jeriamy Vann
Chad Warford
Craig Wood
Michael Sandlin
Kyle Long
Tyler Zengerle
John Wofford
Jonathan Brewer
Big Bass from Beaver Town in 2019 was caught by Cole Sikes.
Beaver Town Angler Recaps
So how did the top finishers catch ’em on tournament day? The top four finishers – Cole Sikes, Dwain Batey, Jeriamy Vann and Chad Warford spill the tea on how they conquered this picturesque fishery. As the anglers did their interviews, one shared some words I felt were appropriate for the amazing natural setting and the blessings we all have to participate in this sport.
“Thank you Jesus For your beautiful creation And your sacrifice ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’”
What was your overall strategy going into the Beavertown tournament?
Cole – More or less my strategy for the tournament was the same as the year before. Try to cover water early with topwater early to catch a limit, then switch to a jig and try to upgrade throughout the day. I didn’t pre-fish before the tournament but was able to figure out a pattern around 10:00 to catch some quality and for the remainder of the day I just ran that pattern.
Dwain – I had never been to Beaver Town before, So I peeked at Navionics on the computer, didn’t see anything special, just decided to go to the closest ramp, and fish it like I would any river this time of year.
Jeriamy – My overall strategy was to try to capitalize on the early bite and get a limit…and stay really focused on trying to cull before lines out. I focused on shade and ambush points mostly.
Chad – Since I had never been to Beaver Town and didn’t get a chance to pre-fish, the first part of my strategy was to pray…a lot as I needed at least a top 15 finish to secure my spot in the upcoming Classic. With that, the pressure was on. I haven’t fished rivers much for bass but overall, find structure on a shady bank and start there. Also, in doing my homework, I knew there would be good water movement at just after 11:00 as that is when the generation cycle for the day was set to start. Knowing that, I also keyed in on ambush spots. At least initially that was the plan.
What time of day did you catch your largest fish and what on?
Cole – I caught my biggest fish just after noon next to a boat dock with a Slowtown Custom jig.
Dwain – My largest fish at 17.75” was around 9 am. It was already hot and I had already put up the topwater and started using the chicken rig at that point.
Jeriamy – My largest fish was my last fish between trying to take a picture and trying to get service I barely got it in on time. I caught that one on a jig.
Chad – My big fish were scattered throughout the day up until about 1:30. Not knowing the river and where to fish, I simply headed up-river towards the dam. The fishing was slow at first with a few small ones but as the morning progressed, the bigger they got. My primary baits were the Strike King KVD 7” Super Finesse Worm on a Shaky Head Jig (multiple colors) and their new Thunder Cricket, mostly bluegill color. I had to be on the fast track to learning the water and I can’t stress enough to always watch and adapt to the changing conditions, and on that river, they changed a lot for the short time we were there. From which way the river flowed (stumped me in the morning it was moving uphill), to where the shade and limited wind was, the water temperature change, the slight rise in the river to how fast it was flowing and when. Lots of variables to consider but I quickly put the puzzle together and ended up catching my biggest fish in some very specific conditions.
Looking back on the season, what was your favorite event and why?
Cole – My favorite event of the year was the Road Runner. I decided to float War Eagle with the mindset of just trying to get a top ten finish. I knew I would catch fish but I was shocked to catch 89.25 inches with a mix bag of Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spots.
Dwain – Probably Beaver Lake North, not only was it a win, but I got to catch some great fish on a swimbait, and that’s always really fun, especially on a lake like Beaver where it’s rare.
Jeriamy – My favorite tournament every year is the Road Runner. I like that format and I like how everyone is spread out. I would like to see the River Road Runner come back for 2020.
Chad – My favorite tournament this year (I can already hear the groans) was Lake Ft. Smith. I am always up for a good challenge and that lake seems to be the most challenging for NSKA anglers each year…except for a select few (Cole/Christa).
With the classic coming up, what are your thoughts on it and how you approach a two day cumulative tournament?
Cole – I’m excited to fish the classic, I think it will be a fun way to end the year. My approach for a two-day cumulative tournament will not change, I will treat each day as if they are just another tournament and I’ll go out there and just try to catch fish and have fun!
Dwain – I really like having it in two different areas and being two days, it will really give us a nice challenge. Multi day events are good because someone who just wanders into some fish can win a single day event, but catching fish two days in a row in two different areas is going to really give us a good idea of who was able to adapt to the different areas, and conditions. I think it will really be a fun event because of this format, and I’m looking forward to it.
Jeriamy – I really think it’s cool to have the top 25 for the season battle it out for the NSKA classic trophy. Even if you can’t win AOY you still have a shot at winning “The Classic”. Two day tournaments are tough, and I think the most important thing is to get a limit the first day then you have a chance of winning because anything can happen. I want to thank Jeff Malott for everything he’s done for our club. I know he is looking forward to fishing more events next year and his shoes will be hard to fill.
Chad – For the upcoming NSKA Classic, I am thrilled with the new format to help determine the ultimate NSKA AOY for 2019! One lake, different launch each day, 25 of the very best for the year grinding to be the last one standing. This new format gives everyone something to compete for all season to earn one of those coveted 25 spots. I will stay with my same approach I take to each tournament with one exception, it’s a marathon and not a sprint like the others. That may change the approach slightly but going against the very best of the best NSKA anglers, the grind must be 100% focus, 100% of the time to have any chance against these great anglers!
It’s always great to find a small tackle company who makes some product which is perfect for your bass fishing needs and has products that just flat out work. PJ’s Tackle Company is a local company which produces lures and colors that are designed to be effective in the clear water applications found in places like the Ozarks. Fishing some of these clear water lakes and streams requires the right look and colors to be effective.
PJ’s Tackle Company grub heads and finesse jigs ready to catch some bass. – Kayakfishingfocus.com
My dad first introduced me to PJ’s Tackle Company (formerly known as PJ’s Finesse Baits for those who’ve known about them for a while) by recommending their weedless jigheads which work great on a grub bounced along the bottom. These jigheads just fit the grubs I like to use perfectly and I really like the unique weed guard which is very flexible and doesn’t impede a hookup.
PJ’s Tackle Company Lures
Their jigs are fantastic looking, with the colors that you need to look natural in clear water reservoirs like Beaver Lake, Table Rock, Bull Shoals and others. Can’t wait to get the Green Orange/Crawfish version on a rocky bank with a natural color craw trailer. In addition to the grub heads and finesse jigs, they also make football jigs.
Fora different style of fishing PJ’s makes a line of Maribou Jigs designed to work on small streams and rivers to catch fish of all types. These lures put off a subtle realistic movement in the water that entice the bite.
The bottom jig head shown is a PJ’s Tackle Company grub / worm head I use sometimes to rig a YUM Warning Shot or Kill Shot. – Kayakfishingfocus.com
PJ’s Tackle Company Story
This company also has an interesting background and mission. Lures are hand-tied by women in small villages in Central and South America in a program to bring work and a faith-based mission to those areas. From their website:
“We have two passions that are the foundation of the mission and vision of our business: to create high quality fishing lures that catch fish and to help women living in poverty in remote rural villages by providing employment opportunities.”
If you fish in really clear water situations and want to support a Northwest Arkansas based company, give PJ’s Tackle Company a look. They have a great mission, story and products.
The new year is upon us in Northwest Arkansas and that means a challenging season ahead for anglers in the NSKA Tournament trail. This year should be big for the Natural State Kayak Anglers with seven events on beautiful Arkansas waters.
For those who have fished in NSKA the past couple of years you will notice a couple of differences for 2018. The warm and cozy waters of SWEPCO Lake are not on the schedule due to the limited parking situation. Additionally, you better get your Beaver Lake maps out, with three events on the premier lake in the area.
Before diving into each tournament on the schedule, here’s a snapshot of the NSKA Tournament events for 2018. Mark them on your calendar now:
March 10 – Beaver Lake South
April 21 – Lake Fort Smith
May 12 – NWA Road Runner
June 16 – Beaver Lake
July 14 – Draw Four
August 4 – Beaver Lake North
September 8 – Table Rock (Beaver Town)
NSKA Tournament Schedule Analysis
Beaver Lake South – As mentioned, in previous years SWEPCO Lake kicked off the season and bass were easy to catch in the warm waters in early March. This year will be a different challenge with Beaver Lake South up first. Water should still be a bit chilly and the bass might still be sluggish. The zone for fishing this event is the Hwy 12 bridge and south. We’ll see what the #deadsea has in store for us this year.
Lake Fort Smith – Back on the schedule for 2018 is Lake Fort Smith, a beautiful mountain lake south of the Bobby Hopper tunnel. April showers bring flowers, but they also can bring muddy waters to this usually clear fishery. One of the great things about this event is it will be a shotgun start from the ramp area which makes for a spectacle. I’m not going to lie, this is a weird lake and I used to dislike it…but really missed it last year. It has a bit of everything from deep bluffs to standing timber to creek run-ins to grass edges. Keep your head on a swivel, there’s a reason some refer to it as Snake Fort Smith.
NWA Road Runner – The glitter boat crossovers had their advantage back on Beaver Lake South, but now the hardcore kayak anglers get their turn. With a true NWA Road Runner, kayaks can be put in almost anywhere in pubic waters. Tiny lakes or rivers with secret spots come into play here as NSKA anglers will scatter across the area to pick the type of water and situation they think will produce on tournament day. That deep brushpile on your favorite body of water that only you know about might be the winning ingredient. Kayak heavy lakes like Lincoln, Siloam Springs, Wilson, Crystal Lake and Elmdale will have a part to play in the outcome. Swepco doesn’t follow the traditional seasonal patterns of the other lakes and will be off-limits for the road runner.
Beaver Lake – Access to the full lake for the June event should really allow anglers to choose how they want to fish the lake. From the clear water and smallmouth central at the dam all the way up to the river will provide a multitude of options. June is a beautiful time of year on Beaver, but is also buzzing with activity from fishermen to the party crowd. Most of the lake will be well into post-spawn time which could make things tough, but I think NSKA anglers will find a way to pull in some big limits. An added bonus to this date is that it coincides with a KBF Open on Beaver Lake same day, so anglers could fish both events should you so choose.
Draw Four – My absolute favorite event of the year is the Draw Four road runner. All participants will draw from one of four area lakes right before tournament time and that will decide where each angler will fish. The Draw Four lakes have not yet been determined, but will be announced well before tournament weekend so people can prepare. Doing well in this event means that you are able to quickly adapt to whatever water luck has chosen for you. Being in July, you better catch’em early in the day…
Beaver Lake North – This one will be the grinder of the season and a good test for anglers. Beaver Lake in August is usually in full #deadsea mode and is an opportunity to see who really can put fish into the kayak. Smallmouth up near the dam area might be the key for this time of year. By this event the Anger of the Year race should be taking shape and the top contenders may be able to seal the deal with a good day on Beaver Lake. Fishing in this one will be limited to the Hwy 12 bridge and the dam.
Beaver Town Arkansas – kayakfishingfocus.com
Table Rock (Beaver Town) – In my opinion the most scenic venue of the year for NSKA Tournaments. If you haven’t kayak fished around Beaver Town, you need to check it out. There are some big fish lurking in these skinny waters between Beaver Lake and Table Rock. This unique area allows you to fish current or find still waters if that’s more to your liking. Another shotgun start, this is a fun final event to bring everyone together. Each year there is also a big camp out at Beaver Town that weekend for anglers to fellowship. Watch for more details.
Looking Forward To The Season
Here’s looking toward a great NSKA season, watch the blog for more individual tournament previews and recaps throughout the year.
